PhoenixChild
by Silver Serpent Phoenix
Summary: AU! HP is severely abused upon his return by his uncle. Rescued by an unlikely group,the truth about his heritage comes out. An ancient prophecy,Harry & co. must prevent new Dark Ages. Evil!Dumbledore. WARNING: mentions abuse and torture. Implies DMHPLVLM
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to, I don't own any of the HP characters nor anything else which can recognized from either the HP books or movies. JKR is the brain behind those, not little old me. _

**Warning:** _This story will be non-graphic slash. If you don't approve please read another fanfic. __Flames will not be appreciated._

**Prologue: Return to Hell**

It was late afternoon when the car pulled up the drive-way of no. 4 Privet Drive. Despite the silence throughout the journey from King's Cross Station to Little Whinging, Surrey Harry couldn't quell the feeling of apprehension he felt. Whether it was because of Uncle Vernon's dark purple face, a sure sign he hadn't taken kindly to the Order's threats earlier, or because of some other ill foreboding feeling Harry couldn't say. Shrugging internally the raven-haired youth pushed those feelings down mentally noting to himself to take extra care not to incise Vernon any more and be very careful in his dealing with his other relatives, after all his instincts had never let him down before. Vernon ordered him to take out his trunk and owl before the whale-like man left for the house. "Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied before heaving his extremely heavy trunk out of the car boot.

As soon as Harry set foot inside the house his instincts started screaming for him to run. Something was very wrong the house was a terrible mess, resembling a small battlefield rather than Aunt Petunia's pristine home. Bloodstains were everywhere, the pictures of Dudley that once hung proudly on the walls were smashed to pieces. Then, in the corner of the living room, he spotted Aunt Petunia or rather what was left of her. Dropping his trunk Harry made a mad dive towards the front door only to find Vernon blocking it with his massive body. With a sinister smile the man headed towards his nephew. Turning to try and make it to the kitchen door Vernon surprised him by quickly snagging him by the throat with a collar, it snapped close immediately. Now truly terrified Harry drew his wand and pointed it at his crazed uncle. 'Damn the consequences, I need to get out of here,' Harry thought frantically. Normally the whale-like Muggle would halt and stutter about him not being able to use magic during the summer, instead the man held an evil smirk and continued his advances. "STUPIFY!" Harry cried out louder than he would otherwise, his eyes widening when nothing happened. Smiling sinister Vernon pounded his fists into the defenceless teen. "Time to pay me for all the crap you put me through boy," Vernon said in a sickeningly sweet voice as he kicked the teen who lay huddled on the floor against the wall. Harry raised his arms protectively in front of his face, his entire body curled up like a ball in a futile attempt to protect himself. Harry James Potter may not have been as skinny and malnourished as when he had left the previous summer but he was still no match for his uncle. Vernon kept kicking him till he tired of it. Harry sighed inwardly thinking his uncle was done punishing him for some non-existent crime. Unfortunately for him Vernon had decided it was time to move on to some less taxing methods of punishment. Less taxing on his heavy body that is. Vernon drew his belt and gleefully whipped the already barely hanging on to consciousness Harry. Cackling madly as he watch the blood pouring out of gashes all over the raven-haired teen's body. Harry prayed he would pass out but sadly the collar Vernon placed on him was a magic-binding item and his magic kept him awake throughout his uncle's sadistic and sick plays. Tiring from the whip Vernon announced happily that 'since the Freak had been such an obedient boy, _he_ would reward him'. Vernon ripped off Harry's clothes and held him, face-down, on the kitchen floor. He took one of the cutting knives from the drawer and carved the words 'FREAK', 'WHORE' and 'FUCK ME' onto Harry's back. "There, all done. Now Boy, I can't refuse an offer like that now can I," Vernon said, his eyes glittering in anticipation. That was all the warning Harry got before Vernon Dursley roughly entered him without preparation. That proved to much for the Boy-Who-Lived and he finally passed out. Whilst Harry was saved from experiencing the other horrors his uncle did to him in his act of violence, Harry also missed the arrival of his cousin and his best friends Piers Polkis and Blaise Zabini. Nor did he notice how the three teens bodily knocked Vernon unconscious, or that they pulled the fat Muggle as carefully as they could from him. Rape is a horrible enough of an ordeal for a muggle but Harry was a wizard. Defiling someone's innocence was a capital crime, punishable by slow and torturous death. It rarely occurred in the Wizarding World as the victim's magic would slowly die out. The only known cases to survive were those with creature-blood in their veins. During the Dark Ages, when rape was common, many old pureblood families married with a creature to protect their children. Raping minors was even more horrible as the teen would not even have the enhanced strength of his magical inheritance to support him. Most minors were dead within a few hours. "Sweet Merlin, Potter is never going to survive this," Blaise' voice was filled with sadness. "He has got to, if Potter doesn't survive the Dark Ages will start all over again," Piers sternly told his friends. "We need help. There has got to be some adult Harry trusts that isn't in the league with that old man. Who can we contact?" Dudley questioned, racking his brain for a name. Hedwig hooted loudly, drawing their attention to her. $$Thunder,$$ Dudley's pet snake hissed as she raised her head to look at him, $$The bird knows someone.$$ "Guys, Shakira says the owl knows who to contact," Dudley told them, his voice filling with hope. Blaise threw open Harry's trunk with a quick apology to the unconscious teen and dug around till he had parchment, ink and a quill. "Write," the Slytherin merely said as she trust her Muggle-raised friend the items.

To Whom this Letter is Given,

It has come to our understanding Harry trust you explicitly. As it is we need you to come over as quickly as possible to no. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry is gravely injured and none of us can do any magic because of the wards. We fear for his life, please hurry. Harry trusts you.

Sincerely,

Dudley Evans.

Bollocks, Potter has been defiled by his uncle. He is not responding. Said uncle is laying unconscious here for now. We will try to keep him that way till you arrive.

Blaise Zabini & Piers Polkis

Ps. If my cousin dies because of your lack of interest in the matter I will personally torture you within inches of death the Muggle-way till you beg for mercy. Trust me when I say I will show you the same compassion and mercy you have shown my cousin.

Dudley folded the letter and tied it clumsily to Hedwig. $$Thunder, shall I go with her as protection,$$ Shakira hissed. $$Yes, please do and make sure whoever receives this hurries.$$ Dudley watched his coral-snake coil loosely around Hedwig's neck before the owl flew off at neck-breaking speed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Wait**

The teens watched Hedwig's departure for a moment before setting to their more pressing tasks, keeping Vernon subdued without magic and tend to Harry. The three dragged the fat muggle into a corner, Dudley ran outside to the shed to find some rope to tie the man up with while the others tended to Harry. He returned quickly and with the help of his oldest best friend Piers, was able to tie Vernon up securely. Blaise was carefully wiping of the blood of Harry's back when Dudley joined him, Piers opted to watch Vernon. Dudley took another washcloth and gently, yet thoroughly, cleaned Harry's lower regions. He grimaced at the amount of blood mixed with cum as he cleansed his cousin.

"Bastard," he spat, glaring at Vernon briefly, "I can't believe I looked up to that bastard once. I even thought it was normal to torment Harry. After everything I did, Harry still saved me from those Dementors. He could have left me and ran, you know Blaise, but Harry saved me that night." Dudley's voice broke, tears were threatening to fall.

"That's just Potter for you, Dudley. He always saves people," Blaise answered softly.

"But someone who has tormented him his entire life? He didn't even know his first name or his birthday till he started school. I was given everything, he was given nothing and I rubbed it in his face for years. I made sure he'd get into trouble even when he didn't do anything. I never did anything to ease his suffering, hell, I enjoyed his suffering," Dudley sneered in self-loathing.

"You are here for him now aren't you? You dragged us to come here to get Potter out of this house before your fath… sorry, Mr. Dursley could hurt him. It's not your fault that _Muggle_ decided he wanted to do more than just knock him into the wall before supper," Blaise retorted not allowing his friend to wallow in self-pity when he needed to be strong. They silently continued caring for the still unresponsive raven-haired teen, each lost in their own thoughts.

**Blaise' POV:**

'Merlin, how wrong could we be? We all thought the Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived had a pampered home-life. Spoiled rotten and getting away with everything, We couldn't have been more wrong. Hell, even children that were considered traitors to their families got treated better by said families. Dudley never spoke of his family's behaviour of Potter but then when they met at Piers' last spring break the newfound wizard had been to distraught over his mother's murder. Though he never spoke of it during Christmas break either, of course that could also be because they had just met. Not to forget that Dudley had just found out the truth about his family. It must be hard for him growing up Muggle, fearing magic only to find out that your entire life had been a lie. Perhaps Dumbledore would suffer from a coronary attack if he found out the magical block he'd placed on Dudley had started to deteriorate after the Dementors had unsuccessfully tried to suck his friend's soul. Dudley's been through so much these past few months and now this, I really hope he can handle this. Hell, he doesn't even know his father's dead yet.'

**Dudley's POV:**

'Aw shit Harry, I'm sorry I should have gotten here sooner. Should have waited up on you here or kidnap you at King's Cross, anything. I swear Harry, I'll protect you, you're the last link to my mum. Hell, I never even got to tell you mum's reaction when she found out I was a wizard. Did you know mum was a squib? Please hold on Harry, I need you. Pathetic isn't it? Dudley Dursley, terror of little kids, instigator of the Harry-Hunting game, mortified of losing said Harry. You've been through so much, Piers told me the Dark Lord's been after you since you first entered the Wizarding World. You know I haven't been there yet, I wanted to go there with you. You'd understand what it would be like, growing up Muggle. Do you think the Dark Lord would stop trying to kill you if he realizes we're his family, even if it's distant? Would you be able to forgive him? Who am I kidding, you're soul is so pure I've never seen anything like it. I didn't tell you, did I? I'm a Soul-seer according to Shakira, she's my pet snake. You'd like her. She helped me through my Magical Inheritance after mum died. He killed her you know, right in front of me. I was to scared to help her, but I _promise_ you I won't let that happen to you. I'll protect you with my life. You changed me, Harry, that day you rescued me from those _things_. I would have understood if you left me to them, God knows I deserved it. But you didn't and suddenly I started having bursts of accidental magic. Mum and I managed to keep it hidden from Vernon but Piers noticed and it turns out he's a pureblood too. His family went into hiding when the first war ended. Seems the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore's lackeys are after them for being Death Eaters. He helped me control my magic and he's been tutoring me. Gods, Harry, why did he have to hurt you so bad. I feel awful, why didn't you just blast him away with your magic? You always could break through the blasted anti-magic wards before. I'm scared Harry, really scared. You have to get better, you just have to. Damn it…'  
**end POV's**

"Shit! He's convulsing!" Dudley yelled terrified.

"I can see that, you moron. Now get me some warm blankets, these robes aren't doing him any good," Blaise snapped, "Piers, drop the oaf. I need your help! Boil some hot water, he's freezing. Damn you, Dumbledore! One would think you'd take more care of your pawns especially if they are as important as Potter."

The two teens scurried to retrieve the items Blaise requested, thus the battle of saving Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived began in earnest.

* * *

**Serpent Manor, Unplottable**

Lord Voldemort blinked in surprise when he felt the presence of his arch nemesis enter his mind. Before he could respond in rage, he felt something was off. There was none of the usual disgust or righteous anger he always felt coming from the boy when they faced each other. Instead he felt fear, sorrow and deep-seated pain coming from the boy. Curious, the Dark Lord abandoned the social gathering with his closest followers and turned his attention inward. Rodolphus Lestrange looked over to his brother to see if he'd also noticed their Master's lack of attention. Rastaban nodded discretely and they continued to celebrate Lucius' release from Azkaban, trusting their Lord would tell them if they could do something for him.

Voldemort was shocked to find the teen naked, shivering and severely tortured against one of the walls in his mind. The most feared wizard of these times frowned, the scene reminded him to much of his own childhood yet at the same time the despair he could hear in his nemesis' voice told him Potter had gone through much worse than he ever had at the hands of those filthy Muggles. The Dark Lord smiled as he felt Nagini's mind join them, he always felt warm in her presence. The snake was a like a mother to him, caring for him when he had been at his weakest. She had taught him to care for hatchlings and younglings. Her own nest had been brutally destroyed as had all others of her kind. Of course she had never approved when some of his Death Eaters 'played' with children and he made sure to _crucio_ them a couple of times to appease her. He was shaken out of his reminiscent moment when he heard his 'mother' speak to the distraught teen.

$$Harry Potter, you are safe here. Marvolo knows better than to harm younglings. Tell Nagini what has troubled you so much that you flee to the Serpent Lord,$$ the magical prehistoric snake hissed soothingly.

Wide terrified emerald green eyes looked wildly around, as if realizing for the first time where he was. The snake continued making nonsensical soothing sounds as she slithered closer to the disoriented and terrified teen. Voldemort was surprised to find that it hurt him to see his nemesis in such pain. Oh, he had hurt the lad before, casting _crucio_ on him and more but that was more because the so-called saviour of the world incised him to no end. He'd had to endure Nagini's temper for not swiftly killing him with the killing curse. Feeling his own temper rise he choose to return his attention to the private celebration of his inner circle, leaving young Harry in the capable scales of his 'mother'.

"My Lord are you all right?" Severus queried softly, handing him a glass of Ogden's Finest.

"I will let you know, Severus. For now let us just celebrate the return of our friends."

Indeed Voldemort's true inner circle consisted only of his closest followers, those he considered his friends. Naturally to the outside the Inner Circle was composed of the finest Death Eaters whilst this was partially true there were certain Death Eaters who were not included in such private celebrations. A few moments into party the sound of insistent tapping caught the attention of Lucius Malfoy who was chatting amicably with Rastaban near the window.

"An owl?" the Malfoy Patriarch exclaimed in astonishment.

"Not just any owl, Lucius. Potter's owl," Severus Snape sneered disdainfully.

Voldemort took a deep breath to control his temper, he knew of the fierce hatred of his potions master towards his former nemesis. 'Former nemesis? When did I stop considering him my nemesis? Since you found him broken and beaten begging you to kill him in your mind,' a little voice in his mind supplied helpfully.

The Dark Lord shrugged internally and answered Rastaban, "There is a coral snake coiled around it. While you all know owls can not find our lair, snakes can. Let her in."

Lucius opened the window and the snowy-owl flew straight at Snape with a speed that surprised them. Hedwig stopped just inches before the potions master's face, hovering. Soft hissing was heard and Hedwig perched herself on the armrest of the chair Severus was sitting in. Raising an eyebrow at the coral snake who now lay poised to strike, Snape untied the missive from the owl's leg. Shakira continued to hiss warningly at the man who was taking far to long for her tastes to read the letter.

"I suggest you read it quickly, Severus. Our young coral snake is getting impatient with you," Voldemort supplied amused. Clearing his throat Severus read the content of the parchment aloud,

**_To Whom this Letter is Given,_**

**_It has come to our understanding Harry trust you explicitly. As it is we need you to come over as quickly as possible to no. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry is gravely injured and none of us can do any magic because of the wards. We fear for his life, please hurry. Harry trusts you._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Dudley Evans._**

_Bollocks, Potter has been defiled by his uncle. He is not responding. Said uncle is laying unconscious here for now. We will try to keep him that way till you arrive._

_Blaise Zabini & Piers Polkis_

**_Ps. If my cousin dies because of your lack of interest in the matter I will personally torture you within inches of death the Muggle-way till you beg for mercy. Trust me when I say I will show you the same compassion and mercy you have shown my cousin._**

Gasps sounded through the room. Then the dam broke and questions rose one after the other.

"Evans? I thought he was staying with the Dursleys?" (Severus Snape)

"What does he mean 'defiled'? No mere Muggle would think of ever defiling a wizard-child, would they?" (Lucius Malfoy)

"Poor kid, his own magic will turn against him." (Rastaban Lestrange)

"What are my son and nephew doing there?" (Antonio Zabini)

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort roared.

Immediately they all quieted knowing full well that since their master's return his temper had increased ten-fold.

"Severus, grab your emergency medical kit. Lucius, disable those damned wards. Rodolphus, take your brother and bring me those responsible for this – alive. Twixy," Voldemort commanded. The four scrambled to do their Lord's bidding. A neatly dressed house-elf appeared at his side.

"What may Twixy do for Master, sir?" the house-elf squeaked.

"Prepare the bedroom across the hall to mine. We will be having a guest. Check with Narcissa to find out what the boy may need. Show her this letter. Also take the owl to the room and make sure she is well fed and watered."

he house-elf took the letter and disappeared with a pop. The rescue team was about to leave when Shakira started hissing again.

"Wait!" Voldemort commanded.

$$I am warning you, if any harm my master or his nestling I will slowly kill you – Serpent Lord or not,$$ Shakira threatened.

$$Do not worry, young lady. None of them will harm you master. Harry Potter is safe,$$ Voldemort replied, misunderstanding the coral snake.

$$The one you call Harry Potter is not my youngling, though he too is a snake-speaker like yourself and my youngling. The human from my nest is the one who wrote you. Harry Potter is his nestling,$$ Shakira explained.

$$Apologies. Rest assured, no harm shall come to him either.$$

Shakira nodded her head regally to show she accepted then she slithered towards the fire where she coiled up next to where Nagini still lay.

"Do not allow any of the teens to be hurt in any way. This Dudley is a Parselmouth like myself, the coral snake is his." With a quick nod and curt bow the four hastened their way to the atrium from where they would apparate to Surrey.

* * *

A groan alerted the three frantic teenagers.

"Blast it," Piers cursed as he got up. He made his way over to where he'd left Vernon tied up.

"Shut it old man," the pale blond snarled before grinning when he heard a satisfying thump.

Piers had hit Mr. Dursley with one of Dudley's old training halters. He ran back to the others when he heard his best friend scream hysterically.

"Blaise?" the boy questioned. The young Slytherin was restraining Dudley with all his might. The Muggle-raised wizard was wailing loudly,

"Nooooo! Harry! No, you can't give up. Fight, damn it, FIGHT! Not now, you're my last link to mum, you CAN'T die," tears flowed freely over his round alabaster cheeks.

The two boys looked on helplessly, knowing that their friend would see the truth no matter what they did. It was times like these that the gift of Soul-Seeing was a curse. Where the hell was the help they ask for? Did truly no one care about their Bloody Saviour? Dudley continued to babble incoherently, drowning in his sorrow. His two friends doing their best to comfort him and caress Harry Potter, the boy they had all once tormented in the hope that it would give him the strength to fight.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: An Unlikely Rescue Team **

It was agreed that Severus led the rescue mission. "Lucius," the foreboding dark wizard said as soon as they arrived at their destiny. "be careful to define which wards are present. The old coot was always going on about the blood protection there is at his relatives and how it was the safest place for the brat to be. I recall hearing Minerva argue that something was wrong with those Muggles however as always _he knows best_", Severus sneered the last words pertaining to his employer.

Lucius did not reply instead casting several complicated dark spells. Runes lit up over several portions, informing the blond aristocrat of not only the type of wards but also of any alarms that might go off if someone were to disable them.

"Sweet Mother of Merlin, what kind of monster is he?" Lucius exclaimed as soon as he digested the meanings of the different runes and their combinations. His mask was back up again in the next second and an outsider would have thought he'd had imagines Lord Malfoy's outburst. His companions however knew it had to be extremely bad if _Lucius Malfoy_ lost control for a second. Severus allowed his best friend a moment to re-centre himself before raising an eyebrow at him in query.

"Safest place as in Azkaban you mean, Severus. The bastard has placed anti-apparition, anti-animagus, anti-magic wards but the worst are the bloodwards which only allow those of Potter's blood and the blood of those blasted Muggles in. Anyone else, save the creator of these wards, gets burned to a crisp," Lucius stated having pulled himself together.

"Then how did this Polkis kid and Antonio Zabini's kid get in?" Rodolphus asked interested.

"Polkis is actually Polaski's kid, Rodolphus," Rastaban explained to his brother.

Herman Polaski had been his best friend and Antonio Zabini's brother-in-law before the aurors had brutally slaughtered him. Piers had saved his mother, sister and himself in a burst of accidental magic, allowing them to escape unscathed to the Muggle world.

"Still, how _did_ they manage to enter unharmed?" Severus said thoughtfully.

Lucius was already working on breaking the wards without alerting the Headmaster, not an easy feat as there were many traps which would trigger the alarms.

"Never mind that now, Lucius can you at least take down the wards to allow us entry?" Rastaban snapped getting impatient.

"I'm already working on it Rastaban, however it will take several hours before I can successfully break even one ward. It is booby-trapped everywhere," Lord Malfoy snapped right back at his friend. He was getting more and more irritable by the minute, his elfin-side was becoming more and more restless.

* * *

**Fleur Delacour's Apartment, London**

Gabrielle woke up screaming, still disoriented she looked wildly about her seeing but not seeing at all. Her breathing was ragged, sweat and tears were flowing freely. It took her a moment to realize she was safe in her bedroom at her sister's apartment. The next instant her bedroom door burst open revealing a haphazardly dressed Fleur rushing towards her.

"Gabrielle, mon sœurette, vhat iz wrong? Zid 'ou anotzer visíon?" the part Veela and former Champion of Beauxbaton informed softly.

"Oui," the young witch sobbed, "Ah saw 'Arry, 'e was tortured by 'iz unkel. Tze bad man 'urt 'Arry in tze most vile way. Oh Fleur, ve need to 'elp 'im. Tze 'Eadmaster iz laughing, tze Phoenix iz cryíng."

Fleur gasped as she immediately understood the implications of her younger sister's vision. Gabrielle was their family's next seer and while not yet of age she already experienced many visions in her sleep. Often however, the visions pertained to the future and was restricted only to their family members. When Harry Potter had saved her from the Merpeople during the Tri-Wizard Tournament the Delacours had invoked used an ancient Veela ritual to include the younger wizard into their family. It would give him the protection all those of Veela blood, whether pure or not, possessed against other enchanters. The fact that Gabrielle not only saw the other teen's future but also the present told her that this was a turning point in history. Their great-grandmother Marie Antoinette Delacour nee Bourgondie had had a similar vision which she had ignored. It had resulted in the hideous Anti-Magical Creature Act in France. No person with creature blood in their veins was safe from persecution, the French Ministry of Magic considered everything that was not a pure human less than animals. Shaking her head the former Tri-Wizard contestant focused on their current predicament, how to save Harry Potter without alerting the Headmaster.

"Gabrielle, ve must contact Bill. 'E vill know 'ou to trust," Fleur finally said.

The younger witch nodded and quickly got out of bed. On her way to the living room she threw her night-robe on carelessly.

"Come, ve must 'urry." Gabrielle was already whispering 'The Burrow' when Fleur entered the living room. Cursing under her breath, the part-Veela followed her sister.

* * *

**The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole**

Gabrielle gracefully stepped out of the fireplace, careful not to hit anything in the kitchen. The fireplace roared once more and Fleur got out just as gracefully. The two sisters sighed in relief when they noticed no one had noticed their arrival. Gabrielle let the way to the second floor where the bedrooms were, this soon after her vision she was still very receptive of the intentions towards her Veela-brother. (_AN: No Harry is not a Veela but the ritual made him the equivalent to their Veela-blood_) The first room they passed on the second floor was the Twin's old bedroom. Gabrielle smiled at the merry feelings yet also fierce protectiveness towards the raven-haired boy. The twins they would be able to trust, knowing the two mischievous brothers were in their apartment at Diagon Alley after having been disowned by their parents, she moved to the next room. It was Percy's old bedroom. The young part-Veela frowned as she felt the condescending emotions and hurriedly moved onto the next. This time her face lit up as the sun's bright rays, she opened the door softly leaving her sister to follow her. Straight long red hair showed from under the blankets, the pale moonlight illuminating the face of a young girl, slightly older than herself. Signalling Fleur, Gabrielle whispered in hurried French to update the younger witch while she continued her search for other's who would be willing to help rescue Harry. Gabrielle left Fleur with Ginny as she moved towards the master bedroom across the hall. She nearly let out a cry of outrage as she felt the true emotions towards the selfless young man who had once rescued her. Instead clasped her hand against her mouth to keep any noise from coming out as she swiftly moved towards the last room on the second floor. Her pretty face was once again marred with a frown as she saw and felt Ronald Weasley's betrayal. Harry's so-called best friend carried no loyalty towards him, only towards the Headmaster and himself. Confused Gabrielle slowly made her way back to Ginny's bedroom, where was Bill? He was supposed to be here at the Burrow.

Ginny was sitting up, talking in hushed whispers with Fleur. The fierce determination and the grim expression on the pretty redhead told Gabrielle Fleur had shared her vision with the other girl.

"You are sure?" was the only thing Ginny said as soon as she noticed Gabrielle.

The blond twelve year old nodded solemnly. Ginny got up and took three black Muggle outfits from her wardrobe. She tossed them one each with the instruction to re-size it so it would fit them before she hurriedly put on her own. Next Ginny haphazardly started throwing her most valuable things into her trunk and asked Fleur to shrink it for her.

"Vhy? What are 'ou planning to do?" Fleur queried, not liking this development at all.

"Fleur, Harry needs help and if what the twins told me from what they noticed the first time they'd met Harry was true, he is in even bigger trouble than we think. The collar you described to me fits the description of a collar Bill told me the ancient Egyptian wizards used to enslave their enemies. A colleague of his was stupid enough to place it around his neck, it took them a full week to figure out how to undo the collar. Harry James Potter became my brother in all but blood the day I caught him crying in the Astronomy Tower during the Tri-Wizard Tournament and I vowed to stand by his side no matter what, especially since he not only saved me from certain death but also did not blame me for anything. Even if I was responsible for petrifying his best friend Hermione. Now, I'm going to alert another two of our schoolmates who have vowed to protect and stand by him before we leave for Diagon Alley. We're going to need the twins and Bill if we are going to pull this off without letting anyone know," the youngest Weasley elaborated.

"But tzat doez not explain…" Fleur quietly said, gesturing to the shrunken trunk.

"'Ou know, do 'ou not?" Gabrielle responded instead.

Ginny nodded solemnly, knowing the younger girl could still feel emotions regarding Harry and most like meant Ron's betrayal, "I will stay with him until he no longer needs me. Then I'll bunk up with Bill and the twins."

No more was said and the three witches quietly made their way to the kitchen. Fleur handed her, her floopowder pouch so they would not need to use the Weasley's stash. Ginny took some and threw it in the fireplace whispering softly 'Neville Longbottom's room, Vulture Manor' before throwing in an enchanted sickle. She repeated the same only this time addressing the Lovegood residence. Then she threw in the last of her floopowder and whispered loud enough for the other girls to hear 'Potter's Place' before stepping into the fire. The others followed her promptly.

* * *

**Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley**

As soon as Ginny stepped out of the fire she was hit with several hexes. The same happened to Gabrielle and Fleur who'd followed her out of the floo right after. Ginny grumbled audibly,

"Merlin, Fred, George, why the hell do you booby trap the fireplace? It isn't as if anyone can enter through here anyhow."

"Err, sorry Gin. I just wanted to make sure, you know," Bill answered sheepishly.

"Well if you're done goofing around we'd like to get untangled and get going," the redhead said waspishly. The Delacour sisters were snickering softly,

"'Ou men are zo zilly. Ief no one knowz tze floo-address tzen tzey can not enter, oui?" Fleur chastised gently.

The three Weasley men blushed fiercely as they hurriedly undid the hexes. Fred helped his sister up while his twin helped the youngest Delacour leaving Fleur to Bill.

"Gabrielle had a vision. Harry's in trouble. Bill, can you undo the underage detection alarm on our wands? Gred, Forge you guys need to grab your emergency medical kit. We're leaving as soon as Bill's done," Ginny ordered curtly.

"Shouldn't we contact Dumbledore or the Order?" the eldest Weasley questioned as he worked on the wands.

"NÒ!" the sisters yelled simultaneously while Ginny simply glared at her eldest brother.

"Do _that_ dear William and your fiancée will find her self marrying a eunuch," the girl threatened icily. Bill held up his hands in defence, "Just tell me why, okay."

"I see tze 'Eadmaster laughing and tze Phoenix crying in tze end of my vision," Gabrielle elaborated.

Bill nodded, "Dumbledore and the Order are out. How about Tonks? She could be helpful in keeping the Ministry at bay."

The young French girl furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, the connection was fading. Finding the answer she nodded once. Bill nodded and sent of his patronus with a message to his fellow Order-member. Meanwhile George took a fake wand from one of the shelves and turned it into an illegal portkey while Fred grabbed everything they might need. When it came to trouble with Harry it usually spelled catastrophe. The boy had absolutely no sense of self-preservation, always placing others before himself. It was one of the things they loved about him. As soon as Fred returned they all held onto the password activated portkey and disappeared.

* * *

Lucius was cursing loudly, as he stumbled upon another obstacle in removing the bloodwards, when they heard the tell tale sound of a portkey. In an instant three wands were pointing at the newcomers. Ginny glanced discretely at the one person in their group who could tell if they meant her 'brother' any harm. A barely visible nod of Gabrielle's head told her what she needed to know.

"Professor, is Harry okay? Is he going to make it? What did the bastard do now?" the young redhead asked boldly, seemingly ignoring both the fact that two of the wands were being held by men she'd fought only a few months before at the Department of Mysteries.

"Ginny," Bill called worriedly though he quieted as soon as Fleur laid her hand on his shoulder.

"It iz okay. Ginny knows vhat she iz doíng," the French witch told her fiancé.

"Ms. Weasley, your bravery astonishes me or should I say stupidity," Snape sneered.

"Severus, leave them be. I am sure Ms. Weasley and her entourage are merely worried about my Harry," Lucius drawled, nearly choking when he noticed he'd called Harry-Bloody-Potter his own. To their surprise Fred and George high-fived each other at his comment.

"Messrs. Weasley?" Severus asked sardonically.

"Let's just say our little Harry's had a crush on two wizards since he was twelve," Fred said with a wink.

George slapped his arm, "Now Fred that would be telling, can't do that you know. AU!"

Ginny had hit the goofing twins with a fizzing hex which gave them a slight electrical shock.

"Bill, help Mr. Malfoy. He's obviously trying to take down the wards. Fred, George, make sure Figg's place is booby-trapped. If an alarm goes of they'll be sure to use her fireplace. Fleur, conjure a stretcher, bandages and the like. Gabrielle, try to see if you can still get a connection to Harry. Professor, talk," Ginny Weasley commanded in a way that rivalled the Dark Lord.

Rastaban smiled, he liked a woman with character. It was a pity she was so young else he'd had have gladly taken her as his wife.

"Potter's cousin, Dudley Evans, wrote a letter for help. Severus show him," Rodolphus said seeing his friend wasn't going to answer the girl.

Severus send him a death-glare before reluctantly pulling out the letter he'd received earlier. Ginny let out a choked sob as she read the letter. A fierce expression took over as she handed the letter back.

"I swore I'd protect him and stand by him. I swear now on my magic and soul, if he dies I will not rest until justice is done."

"You will have to stand in line, Ginerva," a new voice came from behind them.

"My Lord," the Death Eaters greeted, bowing respectfully.

"Tom," Ginny casually greeted, "I prefer Ginny as I told you before."

"And I seem to recall telling you my name is Lord Voldemort," the Dark Lord answered just as casually.

"Touché. Perhaps we should start over for Harry's sake. Hello my name is Ginny or Vixen to the guardians," the young girl said holding out her hand.

Voldemort stared at her hand for a moment then shook it, "Happy to meet your acquaintance Vixen. My name is Lord Voldemort or Marvolo to my serpent family."

Their onlookers stared incredulously at the two, neither were known for their forgiving nature and yet here they were speaking amicably and using each other's most treasured names.

"Then it is a good thing both Harry and I were supposed to be sorted into Hogwarts' Serpent House had we not convinced the Sorting Hat to do different," Ginny said with a smile.

"Lucius, how are the wards coming along?" Voldemort questioned.

"Not to well, my Lord. The old fool has traps everywhere," the Malfoy Patriarch answered.

"Bill, you have exactly ten minutes to let us enter before I start hexing you," Ginny threatened dangerously, "you are a curse-breaker are you not?"

"I can see why you are called Vixen, you truly do your name justice, my dear."

Ginny glared at the snake-like man in front of her.

"Gemini contact Shadow, Janus, The Oracle tell them to get me anything they can on saving a defiled wizard. _And_," Ginny sneered, "tell them I need it within the next hour."

"And just what makes you think Potter can be saved?" Snape sneered at her.

"The fact that my brother's your master's and your best friend's soulmate. Don't bother denying it. Lord Malfoy's Elfin-side came out earlier and Marvolo clearly stated I had to stand in line behind him if Harry should die. Enemies and adversaries do not go about defending one another's honour nor do they send their best followers to free and save their nemesis," Ginny answered back with a challenging look in her eyes.

"Merlin, Gin, do you have a death wish or something?" Fred exclaimed.

"No, but if there is one thing Harry taught me it is that the best way to drown your fear is to face it head on. Right now I fear for Harry's life and no man or creature is going to stop me from making sure he lives. He did not give up on me in the Chamber and I refuse to give up on him now. NOW, GET GOING!"

"These guardians, who are they?" Rastaban interjected trying to relieve some of the tension that was building up between his friends.

"Those you fought at the Department of Mysteries before the Order arrived minus the Mudblood and Weasel. In addition my twin brothers and now Bill, Fleur and Gabrielle," Ginny answered matter-of-factly.

"And what exactly is the purpose of the guardians?" Rodolphus asked, curious himself.

"To aid and protect Harry James Potter. Our loyalty lies solely with him, we will follow him and stand by his side no matter what."

"And if he joins me?" Voldemort questioned, intrigued.

"Then I guess you've just got more soldiers to your cause, Marvolo," Ginny answered cheekily.

Lord Voldemort was about to respond when Lucius' announced the bloodwards were down. Followed by Bill's exclamation that the anti-magic wards were down too.

"Let's go," the Dark Lord and Ginny announced simultaneously.

The rescue teams stormed into the house, the girls and Bill ran with the Lestrange brothers to hunt down the bastard responsible, Lord Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape ran to find Harry whilst the twins ran upstairs to Harry's bedroom to retrieve any items he may still have stored under the loose floorboard in his room. Blaise yelled to catch their attention while Piers continued to comfort his best friend.

"You're to late," Blaise told them sadly, "Dudley saw Potter's soul depart over an hour ago."

The pain and grieve which over took the Dark Elf became to much that Lucius Malfoy transformed.

"NOOOOOO! Not now that I've finally found you!" the elf screamed in agony.

The Dark Lord was not fairing much better and blood red tears slid down his alabaster cheeks onto his mate.

"Harry" that one word was said with such emotion that the others could no longer keep their own eyes dry. Their hearts broke with the utter hopelessness and despair that was audible.

Dudley however, started to cheer and laugh, "Yes, come one Harry. That's right come back, your mates need you." Piers looked at his best friend like he'd finally lost it. Then they all saw it the blood began to flow again and hard shallow breaths returned. Immediately everyone made room leaving only Snape, Lord Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy by Harry's side.


	4. Chapter 3

_AN: Thanks to those who have reviewed. You've really made my week._

_Also I'd like give a special thank you to Ansela and Mooneyoukai for bringing the paragraph structuring to my attention. I've adjusted it for the all the chapters. Hopefully I got it right, blushes_

_Elfanyan, I'm not sure what you meant but hopefully the footnote at the end of the chapter will clarify some things. If it isn't what you meant pls. contact me and I'll how it can be resolved. T.Y. _

* * *

**Chapter 3: Family Secrets**

As soon as Severus announced Harry to be stable enough for transport Lord Voldemort placed a portkey on him transporting the teen to the room where Narcissa was waiting to heal the defiled teen. They joined the others in the living room where Vernon Dursley still lay unconscious.

"Rodolphus, take him to the deepest dungeon at the Manor and allow _no one_ to feed the bastard. Tell your lovely wife and McNair they may play with him but under no circumstance may he be killed or rendered insane. He is ours to punish," the Dark Lord commanded in no uncertain terms.

"Bill, Fleur, Gabrielle, go back to your daily routine. We mustn't let Dumbledore catch wind of tonight's events. I'll stay with Harry then join the twins," Ginny commanded in an eerily similar way to the Dark Lord. Bill was about to protest though after seeing the look on his sister's face he changed his mind.

"If you're sure," the curse-breaker said weakly. "I am. Neville or Luna will keep you informed," Ginny responded shortly then turned to her counterpart, "When you are ready, Marvolo."

At Lord Voldemort's nod the Death Eaters each grabbed hold of one of the teens then disapparated back to their lair. Leaving the others behind to return to their homes. As soon as they appeared in the courtyard they were greeted by Twixy the House-elf.

"Master, Lady Malfoy has send Twixy to tell Master that young master Harry's condition is stable. However she said he is comatose and does not know when young master will wake up, Master sir," the house-elf squeaked when she noticed Dudley standing in the background with Blaise and Piers.

"Oh, young master Thunder sir, Twixy is so glad to be finally meeting you sir."

"Twixy, what in the name of all that is holy are you rambling about?" Voldemort asked perplexed.

"I think she's referring to the fact that you are my great-uncle," Dudley answered calmly glad Piers had told him of the strange creatures that served wizard families. "I have no relatives," Voldemort answered curtly, "I am the last of Salazar Slytherin's line."

"While I will not dispute the last, Harry's and my grandparents on our mothers' side are Lord Sangue Grindelwald and Lady Cassandra Slytherin. Our grandmother hid our mothers with the Evans' to prevent Dumbledore from killing them. Mum told me we stem from Salazar Slytherin's sister," Dudley explained as they made their way to the house.

"I see, that certainly would explain why both of you are Parselmouths as only those of the Slytherin line are known to posses it," Voldemort answered diplomatically, not wanting to remind anyone of the fact that Harry had been thought to have taken part of his power when the killing curse re-bounded on him.

"Master, what should Twixy tell Lady Malfoy?" the house-elf interrupted fearfully.

"Tell her we will be there shortly," the Dark Lord answered to distracted to reprimand the elf. The rest of the journey to the house was done in silence, the group to filled with questions and/or worry for the injured teen to break the silence.

"My Lord," Narcissa greeted with a bow as soon as Voldemort entered the guest-quarters assigned to Harry.

"Narcissa, how is he?"

The aristocratic witch sighed, "Physically, he is stable and recovering. Though there will be scarring, that damnable collar does not allow him to be healed with magic. Mentally, Emotionally or even Magically, I do not know. I fear we will have to wait for him to wake before I will know the extent of the damage. The worst case scenario would be that the boy will be severely depressed, suicidal even. His magic uncontrollable and his mind unreachable," the Medi-witch of the Dark said.

"How do you mean 'his mind unreachable'?" Ginny queried, her baby-blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"Trapped in his own nightmares," Narcissa answered sadly. A loud wail could be heard coming from the bedroom, as one they all ran towards it.

They found Draco clutching the injured teen close to his chest rocking Harry back and forth in a soothing motion. Everyone expected the Dark Lord to attack the platinum blond teen or even Lucius Malfoy to attack his own son for touching his mate, imagine their surprise when…

"Father, he is our mate, is he not?" Harry's long-time school-rival said tearfully.

"Yes Draco, he is both our mate and our Lord's mate," Lucius replied calmly.

"Dudley, what's going on mate?" Piers whispered.

"The two Malfoy men share the same soul. You never did easy did you, Potter?" Dudley answered speaking normally. "Well, that certainly explains why the two are so much alike," Blaise stated dryly.

Ginny not in the least interested in anything other than Harry's welfare had walked up to the bed. "Hey, big brother, I missed you. Wake up soon, luv, there are hoards of people here who love you. **You**, _Harry_, **not** the sodding Boy-Who-Lived, just _Harry_," the young redhead said in a stern voice only the slight quiver in it betrayed how upset she really was.

Then she got up and made room for her 'brother's' mates. Lord Voldemort nodded gratefully as he took her place on the bed. But opposed to the Malfoys he did not utter a single word, preferring to communicate to Harry through their link.

* * *

**A Different Plane**

Harry was in a different dimension, enjoying his mother's affections as she'd come to him as soon as he arrived. "Mum, why can't I stay here with you?" the green-eyed boy asked timidly.

"Harry my love, it is not your place to be amongst the dead but I promise you we will see each other often after you've come into your inheritance," Lily answered cryptically. Emerald green eyes locked onto emerald green eyes, "What do you mean, mum?"

"You have a destiny, a destiny Albus Dumbledore has tried to change for his benefit. Take the prophesy Dumbledore told you about, tell me what you make of it," Lily said hoping to guide her son in the right direction without crossing the restrictions for the deceased.

"Uhmm.. well the prophecy say I'm the one who can vanquish the Dark Lord with some power he knows not and it also says neither can live while the other survives," Harry told his mum, "I don't know about any power. All I want is to be normal and for once in my life be loved without having to worry about whether there is some hidden agenda. I know most of my so-called friends have had hidden agenda's in the past, even my so-called best friends were spies for the Headmaster. Why did everyone who truly cared for me, Harry, have to die mum?"

Lily wiped a tear away as she heard her son's anguish in that one sentence. "I know baby, I know, but I promise you there are people who care and love you deeply that are alive and waiting for you. Just listen for a moment," the red-haired, green-eyed witch told her son lovingly.

Harry did as his mother instructed and could here faint voices. 'Was that? No, it couldn't be… Yes, that's Lucius Malfoy screaming in agony and Voldemort. Why was Voldemort howling in desperation? The man had tried to kill him since he'd been a toddler. It didn't make sense and why was Dudley encouraging him to come back?' He could also hear girls sobbing and sniffling. It made no sense to him.

"Mum, am I dreaming?" he finally asked.

"No Harry, you're not. Lucius and Riddle would give the world to you if they could. The girls and boys you hear crying love you like their own. It's time to live, little one. It's time to go back. Remember Harry, nothing is like it seems. I love you." Lily's voice faded away as Harry fell back into nothingness. There was no other way to describe it, there was nothing there but Harry. Closing his eyes the raven-haired youth allowed the voices of his mates to draw him back to the living.

* * *

**Serpent Manor**

"Hey, big brother, I missed you. Wake up soon, luv, there are hoards of people here who love you. **You**, _Harry_, **not** the sodding Boy-Who-Lived, just _Harry_," he heard Ginny say. Then he heard Voldemort pleading through their link, 'Harry, love, please don't give up. We'll find a way to help you heal. You'll be as good as new before you know it. Come on Harry, you've never given up before, please fight one more time. Fight to live. I promise you Lucius, Draco and I will do everything in our power to give you what you want and need.'

In the room those present could here both Malfoy men pleading, even begging the boy to come back to them. After what seemed hours but in reality it was only a few minutes, a soft snort caught their attention.

"Ugh, begging does not become you, Tom, Malfoy," Harry rasped, his voice sore from screaming earlier.

"Harry!"

Everyone yelled in elation when they noticed their friend had woken. Harry grimaced at the noise smiling gratefully in the direction of where he heard Snape hiss, "Silence, what are you a bunch of squirmiest Hufflepuffs? The boy needs to rest or perhaps you want some answers first, Potter?"

Harry grinned, his potions professor knew him well indeed. It was the main reason why he'd secretly always looked up to the man. Perhaps his mum was right; if the Weasleys and the Malfoys could stay in one room because of him,then maybe these people didn't have a hidden agenda.

Narcissa handed him a glass of water which he took gratefully. The water soothed his throat immensely deciding to chance using his voice Harry looked towards his professor. "Snape, what's going on? Why are Dudley and Piers here? Or for that matter, when did Voldemort and the Malfoys stop wishing me dead? And Gin, why did you become a death eater?"

"Mr. Potter, Harry, how do you expect me to answer you if you do not even give me the time to answer?" Severus sneered. It would have been intimidating if those onyx-eyes did not contain a sparkle of mirth in them. Blushing Harry muttered a quiet apology.

"No Harry, do not apologize for something you are correct in querying," the normally dour man said. "Considering the fact that Narcissa is a far more intimidating Medi-witch than Poppy Pomfrey, I will just give you a brief update before leaving you to her capable hands. Your cousin's magical powers were blocked, for some reason the episode last summer unblocked them. I shall leave him to explain everything more fully at a later time. Suffice to say he fled his parental home during the year and stayed with his best friend, Pierre Polaski, or Piers Polkis as you know him. Who is in fact the son of a Death Eater who was brutally murdered after the last war. They had gone into hiding in the Muggle World and had been living as Muggles since. One of your fans, Ms. Gabrielle Delacour apparently had a vision concerning yourself. She and her sister contacted the Burrow, trusting only William, Ms. Weasley and those infernal twins. Together they set out to rescue you. Dudley, Pierre and Blaise had returned to Privet Drive to rescue you before your uncle would do anything to harsh. To their dismay they were to late and Dudley ordered your owl to deliver a letter to the one adult you trusted. Surprisingly it was myself though probably more astonishing was the fact that it delivered the letter here in the Dark Lord's Manor."

Suddenly something clicked in Harry's mind, he remembered wanting to go away and…

$$Mother, where are you?$$ the teen hissed distraught that he could not sense her. He remembered Nagini soothing him, protecting him like only a mother would her child.

$$I am here youngling, do not fear. I will not leave you,$$ Nagini hissed as she slithered into the room.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the prehistoric snake wrapped her coils around him. He snuggled deeper into her coils then looked at his professor, his cheeks bright pink with embarrasment.

"I will let it slide this once, Mr. Potter," Severus said, "Now where was I, ah yes, the Dark Lord made me read the letter out loud and consequently ordered us to retrieve you in good health and take those responsible with us. On the scene, Lucius' elfin side came out. We discovered you are his mate and subsequently Draco's mate as Draco is an extension of Lucius' soul."

"Now before you start feeling guilty or what not, Harry. My soulmate is Rodolphus Lestrange, not my husband. Our marriage was one of convenience not love. Draco was born because Lucius, being a Dark Elf, was somehow able to inject part of his soul into me. I bore him to term with my family's magic. Draco and Lucius would have been one if not for the ancient magic in my family. Thus the perfect heir to the Malfoy name which was needed to prevent the Wizarding World from finding out the truth," Narcissa explained running her fingers soothingly through those raven-locks of her patient.

"While Lucius was trying to break the wards on the house, the group of self-appointed Potter Guardians arrived on the scene, as did the Dark Lord. No, no blood was shed. Our common goal was to rescue you and as such we needed to cooperate with each other," Snape continued.

"Hey, Harry, think you want to get rid of that dog-collar yet?" Neville's soft spoken voice sounded from the doorway, startling those present in the room.

"How were you able to enter here without detection?" Voldemort asked dismayed at the fact that a mere teenager could manage to get through the wards without alerting someone.

"They do not call me Shadow without a reason, Lord Voldemort. So, what do you say Harry?" the Longbottom Heir casually asked.

"Sure, Nev. What do we do?" Harry's voice was filled with excitement, the timid undertone had completely gone.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Just a bit of clarification, the original guardians are a group of Gryffindors who saw Harry's loniless and burden. Their friend was always ready to help anyone in need yet it seemed that no one cared about Harry James Potter. In lieu of this they decided to form a clandistine group which would always look out for Harry's welfare. They took on codenames to prevent others from finding out, in fear it would be used against Harry._

_Vixen (the Leader)  
real name: Ginny Weasley  
position: leader  
specialty: hexes and curses  
_

_Janus  
real name: Fred Weasley  
specialty: potions and transfiguration _

_Gemini  
real name: George Weasley  
specialty: potions and charms_

_Shadow  
real name: Neville Longbottom  
specialty: stealth and healing_

_The Oracle  
real name: Luna Lovegood  
specialty: necromancy and ancient magics  
_


	5. Chapter 4

_AN: Sorry took so long to update, my computer thought it funny to refuse service for awhile. _**  
**

**Chapter 4: Of Legends and Re-Birth**

"Are you implying that you can remove that damnable collar from him?" Lucius questioned the new boy.

Dark Elves were not quick to trust and Longbottom had the reputation of being clumsier than his wife's half-blood cousin Nymphadora Tonks. There was no way he would allow anyone to harm his mate further whether it be on purpose or by accident.

"Rest assured Lord Malfoy, I am merely implying I know how to. The Oracle shall be the one to summon those who actually can," Neville stated in all confidence making Severus Snape blink at the teen in disbelieve.

"The Oracle? Surely you don't mean Loony Lovegood," Draco sneered viciously at his yearmate.

"Do you know of any other Master Necromancers?" Neville snarled back dangerously.

"Ms. Lovegood is a Necromancer?" Severus Snape exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Have been since the age of seven," Luna's misty voice drifted into Harry's bedroom.

"Nothing is as it seems," Harry smirked, remembering his mum's parting words to him.

"Too true when it comes to serpents in the lions den, right Harry?" Luna gave her friend a dazzling smile. Harry stared at his younger friend, "How did you.."

"I'm also the descendant of Gaia, remember?" Luna answered before he could finish his sentence.

"Shadow, I suggest you start explaining while I go prepare myself in the Dark Lord's Ritual Room," she airily instructed before drifting out the room. Neville nodded and held up his hand towards the Slytherins to stop them from either questioning her further or from following her.

"She knows her way even with booby-traps lying around. The collar which Harry carries around his neck is a unique one, its name is Venom. The thing not only prevents the wearer from using magic, it also drains the magic the longer it is worn. This particular collar once belonged to Morgan Le Fay who created it to spite the goddess Diana. You see Morgan Le Fay had been in love with Merlin for a very long time and felt he would soon ask to her hand in bonding. This however was diverted by his love for a young woman he'd met out in the forests one day. The young woman was the goddess Diana's favourite child, whose soul was purer than a phoenix or even that of a baby unicorn. In her jealousy Morgan enlisted the aid of Macha, the goddess of treachery and deceit. Together they devised not only the collar but also a curse which would prevent Diana from sending or rescuing the poor soul. The curse would prevent the soul from being reborn for another two thousand years. **_And_** **_only_** from a union between a witch, born from a dark family and would willingly sacrifice herself for the light throughout her life, and a wizard, born from a light family, who was tainted with a dark soul. Now before any of you start jumping to conclusions, Diana did not sit idly as the two others hurt her chosen one. She travelled to Hades and begged him to aid her in her quest. While the two were unable to undo the curse they did know that the mere existence of the collar posed a threat. The solution Hades came up with would enable Diana's favourite to not only survive the collar but also unleash powers no mortal could control, in effect become immortal. This however did not come without a price; the Three Fates insisted that they would determine the fate of the boy. His life would be full of trials and tribulations to determine whether or not the boy would be worthy of becoming a semi-god. Diana agreed knowing it was her 'child's' only chance. Hades, suspecting a trap, argued that if at one point the soul was defeated by the collar before its judgement-day he would be allowed to stand trial."

"Great, I really am a freak," Harry grumbled.

"No, Harry, you're not. Vernon was wrong, hell, I was wrong," Dudley told his cousin, taking the smaller hand into his own, "Harry, if anything you are the kindest person I know who honestly deserves this who semi-god thing."

"I'm glad you think so, considering, Harry will not really be the one the gods will judge. Lord Voldemort, I need you to summon every Death Eater you have to the Ritual Room, make sure they bring their families with them. Vixen, please summon Dobby and tell him 'the Phoenix is rising'. He'll understand what to do. I will summon the true brothers and the Veelas," Neville hurriedly instructed before disappearing in the shadows.

"Well, what are you waiting for people? GET.A.MOVE.ON!" Ginny barked at those present.

Luna finished her the last of her preparations just as the first of the expected guests arrived. She giggled, 'guests' she was in their bloody strong-hold. Lord Voldemort looked around the Ritual Room with renewed respect towards Harry's self-appointed guardians.

The entire room had been transformed to look like the original Oracle at Delphi. There were trees and other plants dispersed around the room, the ceiling allowed not only the view of the sky, it also allowed the elements in. The Dark Lord felt the soft breeze and the warmth of the sun despite the fact that they were deep in the dungeons of his Manor. There was a separate partition which contained a white, fluffy divan and had a large bowl of incense on each side. Despite the massive amount of smoke it was not suffocating the area. Lastly he looked at the sacred circle at the floor, it had been enlarged and a pentagram had been drawn in the middle. All the elements were represented in the candle-lit room and radiated the sort of ambiance one would never thought to find in Slytherin Manor, purity. The girl herself was dressed in the finest, snow-white, silk robes, ancient Greek in its design. Several other ceremonial robes were hanging off the side and she gave him one to wear. Ginny, Lucius, Draco and surprisingly Severus Snape were each handed their own robes upon their arrival. It was refreshing to see the Potions Master in different robes from his customary black. Ginny was given blood-red ceremonial robes, Lucius was handed golden yellow attire, Draco an emerald green, Severus blue attire and Lord Voldemort a set of smouldering grey ceremonial robes.

Luna then wordlessly motioned for the Severus to take his place in the top triangle of the Pentagram. Ginny was to stand at the right, the Dark Lord opposite him on the left. Both Malfoys were sent to stand on each of the Pentagram's legs. The girl then motioned for Harry and Dudley to remove their robes and lay skyclad in the centre of the Pentagram. Once the main persons had taken their rightful places she addressed the entire room, which regardless of being expanded was packed.

"Fellow wizards, witches and creatures, we have gathered today to witness the death of Harry James Potter, the re-birth of the Phoenix-Child, and the death of Dudley Vernon Dursley, the re-birth of the Serpent-Child," her lips barely moved yet her voice rang clear and strong surprising many present. Murmurs started as soon as everyone realized why they had been summoned.

The Legend including the Serpent-Child however was only still thought by dark families since the Light side had long since decided snakes were evil. However, every pureblood had heard the myth of the Phoenix-Child; it was a story they told their children, teaching them that the old ways were to be honoured and respected always lest the gods would become displeased with them. It was one of the main reasons why most old pureblood families disliked the open acceptance of Muggle-borns by the Ministry and Dumbledore. Thunder and lightning accompanied the thundering voices of Vixen and Lord Voldemort,

"SILENCE!" The combination of the four was enough to shock everyone into silence and obedience. Luna smiled at the two cousins in the sacred Pentagram, Harry and Dudley had grown irritated like the two leaders and as a result unconsciously released their joined elemental magic.

"You will have noticed the numerous plain ceremonial robes floating in the far-side of the room, please take one and wear it. Those unable to do so may go skyclad. I shall be invoking the gods soon," Luna explained more to show that she knew what she was doing rather than believing that those present were ignorant of the proper etiquette. Once everyone had settled she closed the circle.

"Hail Goddess Diana, Mother of the Earth, Mother of Life, hear your humble servants' plea," Luna intoned in a soft spoken yet crystal clear voice. Everyone remained silent, their heads bowed as a sign of respect to their sacred mother. A golden mist appeared just above the circle and the most beautiful face ever seen by any of them could be seen inside the mist.

"Greetings, Cassandra, child of Pythia." The voice reminded Harry of Fawkes, the Phoenix only he could understand her. Luna bowed respectfully in greeting then once again her clear voice could be heard throughout the room,

"Hail Hades, God of the Underworld, Guardian of Departed Souls, hear your humble servants' plea." Like earlier a silver mist appeared just above the circle, in the middle the face of the Horned God appeared.

"Greetings, daughter of Pythia; tell us the nature of your summons," a deep rumbling voice spoke.

"My Lord and Lady, we stand here before thee to ask thy help in releasing the curse which was thrust upon my brother and charge. The one who has led an accursed life and rose from its ashes time and again but the burden cast on him now will kill him," Luna answered.

"Luna dear, let us undo with the formalities. We know you've summoned us for the trial," Diana said kindly, offering the two skyclad teens in the circle a wink.

"Severus Snape, son of Vampires, will you father this suffering child as your own?" Hades asked formally.

"My Lord, I would be proud to call the child my own if he should wish it," Severus responded after a moment's thought.

"Even though, he is the son of your once sworn enemy? Even though the child has no knowledge of our ways?" the god queried.

"The son of my once sworn enemy is precisely that, the son not the father. I have spent the last five years tormenting the son for the sins of the father; I was wrong. Harry is nothing like his father, he is the most pure boy I been honoured to meet. Never placing himself before others, stoically keeping his own sufferings hidden. Bearing the burdens of others as his own. Neither may have knowledge about our ways, though they can be taught to embrace them," Snape answered.

"And how will you teach them to embrace our beliefs?" Diana asked.

"By explaining what we belief, why we do and do the rites we do, my Lady," the Potions Professor replied. The gods nodded in satisfaction then turned their attention to Ginny.

"Ginerva Molly Weasley, Leader of the Guardians, will you embrace both your peers as your charges?" Hades asked.

"My Lord, Harry is my brother in all but blood. I will give my life for him and kill for him if necessary. Dudley has come to mean a great deal to my brother, for his sake I accept till the time comes that I can accept Dudley because of who _he_ is," Ginny too had thought her answer through before answering.

"Harry James Potter, child of Fate, do you accept Severus Snape, son of Vampires as your father?" Diana asked the stunned Boy-Who-Lived.

"Uhmm, yes, my Lady, I would like nothing more. I've looked up to the man for years in secret, wishing my real dad could be like him. I would be truly honoured, sir," Harry finished looking directly at his potions professor.

"You mean to say you enjoy being harassed?" Hades asked incredulously, none of the former formalities present in his voice.

"No, sir," Harry blurted out before hurriedly adding, "Don't get me wrong. I loathed the way he treated me in school but he was also the one who never asked to be recognized for anything he did. He saved my sorry arse more times than I care to remember but the real reason I've wished he was my dad is because he's never lied or tried to sugar-coat things to me. I might not have like to hear it but I hated not hearing the truth," Harry explained.

Everyone present gasped at Harry's casual manner, only now realizing how little Muggle-raised children knew of proper etiquette. The gods however enjoyed the open and carefree manner the teen dared to use with them, each smiling down benignly at him. "And how about Dudley, will you accept him as your brother?" Diana asked amused.

"I've always wanted a brother and for a long time I thought I'd found one in Ron and the other Weasley boys, with the exception of Percy. But I remember as a child I cried myself to sleep each night not understanding why Dudley could not be my brother. Not because my aunt and uncle would love me, I figured out at a young age that would never happen, but because he was and is the closest thing I'll ever have as a blood brother."

Several of the audience could be seen wiping away the tears that threatened to fall down their cheeks. The sheer agony and pain of a young child could be heard in Harry's voice. Nagini, sensing Harry's distress slithered into the circle, using her tail to open and close it. The prehistoric snake made her way over to the distressed teen, wrapping him lovingly in her coils as she had done earlier. Diana laughed when she saw the protective snake mother the teen who had visibly begun to relax.

"Let me guess, your self-appointed mother?" Hades teased.

"Uhmm, I guess sir?" Harry said uncertainly, earning himself a cuffing over the head by said snake. Causing the gods to truly loose their composure and laugh outright. Once they'd recovered themselves the two deities turned their attention to Dudley.

"Dudley Sangue Dursley, seer of souls, do you accept Harry as your twin? Will you bear his burdens with him and enforce retribution to those who deserve it?" Hades asked sternly, surprising everyone with his sudden demeanour.

"Yes, my Lord. I would do anything to ease the burdens on his shoulder. Harry's pure soul does not, warrant for him to have received the abusive treatment he has over the years," Dudley answered formally.

"How do you mean, young Soul-seer?" Diana asked, truly intrigued.

"His entire life Harry has suffered through the abuse of my parents and me. Let me give you a short overview, as I know Harry would never even think of sharing this with anyone. He was placed in my parents' care after his parents were killed. By the age of two he was self-sufficient enough to shower, dress and use the potty. He cleaned and cooked for the family by the age of three and responded to _'BOY_', not knowing his name till he started primary school. He was not allowed to eat anything but scraps. Mind you, with the appetite my dad and I, at the time, sported it usually meant licking of the plates or salvaging something from the garbage bin. He lived in the cupboard under the stairs until he returned from his first year at Hogwarts. After that he was given my second bedroom which meant he had a rickety worn out bed, a cupboard and a desk in a similar state. He was mentally, emotionally and physically abused by my parents for being a wizard. He was called and branded a 'freak', he never knew about his heritage or the fact that he was a wizard until Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, came for him. I regret to say that I bullied him and any who tried to befriend him till last year when he saved my sorry arse from Dementors. He could have easily fled and left me, his tormenter, behind; instead he chose to stay and chase away those fiends who tried to steal my soul from me. Unexpectedly it also undid a block which was placed on my own magic. Though mother has since regretted her actions, as a squib, she tried to teach me as much as she could, being Muggle-raised herself. She suspected Dumbledore from having placed the magical block on me the day he delivered Harry on our doorstep since I'd never displayed any magic before. On the day father brutally murdered her, she begged me to tell Harry she was sorry for her jealousy and spiteful actions, as well as telling me to never leave the boy who should have been my brother. Harry's had to endure all this and more, never sharing his burdens with others," Dudley finished sadly.

There wasn't a single dry eye left in the room when the once thought Muggle finished his tale. Ginny and the twins had suspected it to be bad but they had never believed it possible to be this bad. Those who had tormented the Boy-Who-Lived looked shamefully towards the ground. How often had they not made fun of the boy who bore everything with a grunt, only retaliating when his loved ones were threatened?

Harry seeing the sad faces and the expressions of shame walked up to each and every one of them, completely forgetting about the rites which had to be followed upon entering and exiting the sacred circle. He wiped away the tears of Bellatrix Lestrange, giving her a small peck on her cheek. He scratched Fenrir Greyback lightly behind the ear, soothing the werewolf. He comforted each and every person and creature in the room. The gods were pleased as they heard the teen whisper to them, 'Don't cry. Don't feel ashamed. You only did what you thought was right at the time.' Or to others 'Don't feel bad. I love you.' When after some time the occupants of the room had calmed down the teen simply returned to the circle and gave each of the occupants of the Pentagram their own special gesture of love and forgiveness.

"Do you also believe your uncle Vernon Dursley deserves forgiveness, Harry?" Diana finally asked.

"No ma'am, if it had been only me I would have forgiven him but he killed my aunt, and taught my cousin nothing but hatred and fear of the unknown, _**that is**_ unforgivable, my Lady," Harry answered vehemently. Hades smiled,

"Then I believe each of you have past the test. Those of you gathered here as witnesses have proven yourselves not only loyal to the one you serve but also to the Children of the Gods. Now be witness to the end of their mortality" Hades declared. Out of nowhere Fawkes appeared and burned Harry alive while Nagini bit Dudley with a fast acting poison. The moment they were dead, the Goddess of Life spoke,

"Rise from the ashes Children of the Gods. Thunder and Lightning, Children of the Serpent and the Phoenix. **So mote it ****be**."

With her departing words still ringing in the air, the witnesses to the event saw two babies crawl out of their eggs and grow before their very eyes until a mere ten minutes later the teens stood as they had before, with only slight differences to their bodies.

Harry's scar was gone for one, his wild mop of hair now long and wavy, his facial features a bit more aristocratic and his olive-toned skin, golden. He also sported red Phoenix-wings. Dudley on the other hand looked more athletic, his golden hair in a similar fashion as his now twin. While his features too were aristocratic, his complexion was a milky-white. The two were, while similar also exact opposites. Dudley's dark green wings were made out of snake-scales and his birthmark was on his left shoulder while Harry had his on his right. Their birthmark looked like a tattoo of a serpent and a phoenix entwined together.

"Remember children, your true destinies begin now," Hades added as he too faded away.

* * *

_AN: For those who are not aware, 'skyclad' is the decent wiccan name for naked. It is often done during rites._


End file.
